Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: "In parts of the country, many people have suffered unacceptable disruption following the introduction of the new timetable in May for which we are sincerely sorry.

"The industry is determined to learn the lessons from what went wrong."

He said train operators would focus on making sure passengers received a "reliable service" in December.

The operators which will not make changes to their existing timetable in December are Cross Country, Govia, Thameslink Railway, Great Western Railway, London Overground, Northern, South Western Railway (SWR), TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.

Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
In May, the time of every Govia Thameslink was changed

"Before we look at steps taken to improve the situation and compensation, we want to hear the experiences of passengers themselves. I strongly encourage them to engage with us via the Committee's Twitter account or submit written evidence to our inquiry."

Stability needed

Train timetables are usually changed twice a year, in summer and winter, but normally on a much smaller scale.

The Rail Delivery Group said December's changes would now be on a similar scale to "the smaller changes of recent years".

South Western Railway said it was "disappointed" that it would not be going ahead with its "major timetable change" in December, which would have led to more capacity.

The decision was taken "at a national level that a period of stability is needed", it added.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said the timetable announcement was a "pragmatic step to help maintain a more dependable service".

But he warned that "long-suffering passengers who have put up with much inconvenience... will be disappointed that promised improvements may be delivered more slowly".